A Whale of a Tale
by Icha
Summary: A massive whale stranding threatens to disturb Bruce and Diana’s holiday in Bali! Guest starring: the almost forgotten Cascade, and Aquaman - the King of the Oceans.
1. The Whales of the Same Color Flock Toget

**A Whale of a Tale**

**By Icha**

**Rated: T**

_Summary: A massive whale stranding threatens to disturb Bruce and Diana's holiday in Bali! Guest starring: the almost forgotten Cascade, and Aquaman - the King of the Oceans._

_Disclaimer: Batman, Wonder Woman, Cascade, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, the Batclan and the Global Guardian belong to DC Comics. I deliberately developed the second persona of Cascade (i.e. Chandragita Delphina), her job and her life in Indonesia. This story is in continuity with 'Roses of Paradise'. Many thanks to Athena Phoenix for beta reading._

**Chapter 1. The Whales of the Same Color Flock Together**

Saturday morning, Ubud – Bali.

It had been raining since early morning, making the cool weather of Ubud cooler. Guests of the Jepun Ubud Hotel walked slowly along the terrace, afraid of the slippery granite path. It was not a hard rain, but the gray clouds in the sky made many guests weary and they started canceling their outdoor activities. Instead, they just hung around the big semi-open lounge of the hotel, watching the misty rainforest in the valley across the lounge and the giant pool facing the valley, its water falling into a heavy cascade made heavier by the rain.

Bruce Wayne was also watching that giant pool, built to protrude over the valley and thus making the water falls directly onto the cliff. He could smell the sweet Bali rain entering the open window of their bungalow, mixed with the fragrance of golden frangipani, gardenia, and _cempaka_ that grew outside the window. He sighed in contentment, grateful that he had let himself come here for a weekend. A rustling noise from the bed made him turn around, smiling to the woman responsible for his being here.

In their bed lay Diana of Themyscira. Still sleepy after a good night's rest, the Amazon struggled to open her eyes. She usually got up easily, especially after Apollo's morning sun greeted her. But the rain this morning made her lazy and sapped her willpower to wake up. Instead, she just rolled to her side, looked at Bruce, and gave him her warm smile.

"Morning, Bruce. You woke up early," She yawned, stretching her hands, and stayed in bed for a while, not wanting to move. "Nice rain."

"Yes, it is. And it makes you lazy, Princess," Bruce said teasingly. He walked over to Diana, leaving the window half open, and the smell of rain came in. From their bed, Diana could also see a part of the giant pool and its cascade that Bruce just contemplated. _Cascade_. Suddenly Diana remembered her Indonesian heroine friend. _What would she think if she knew I'm here... with the Batman?_

"Wake up, sleepyhead. You said you wanted to have a paddy walk today." Diana had mentioned the previous night that she wanted to explore the rice paddy field, as most tourists often did. Bruce sat at the edge of the bed, tucking a small golden frangipani he picked just now behind Diana's ear, and then leaned in to kiss her.

"I 'ouh'at'we'd 'ust'stay'ere..." Diana struggled to speak while her lips greeted Bruce's.

"What did you say?" Bruce smirked. "Didn't your mom tell you not to speak when kissing?"

Diana grinned too. Years ago, speaking of Hippolyta would have brought sadness to her. But she had talked about her mother over and over again with Bruce, and now she was used to mentioning her in conversations, and even jokes. "My mother told me not to date a brooding bat, as he would make me moody." She tilted her head, her azure eyes sparkling, "Apparently she was wrong." Bruce responded with his usual sly grin.

"I said, 'I thought we'd just stay here', as it is raining anyway," She continued. "We can have the paddy walk this afternoon, or tomorrow before we go home."

"Whatever you say, Princess." Bruce took her hands, kissing her long fingers. "But don't you want to have breakfast?"

Diana thought for a while. She had awakened to find that she was hungry (must be something with Ubud's weather), and had seen Bruce Wayne, her new boyfriend standing by the window. She could not decide which one she wanted more at the moment. But she was aware of one thing: Bruce was enjoying their short weekend here, and it made her happy.

Actually, she had not found it difficult to persuade Bruce to come with her for a weekend in Ubud, Bali. They had just started dating after their night together at Paradise Island. Two weeks later, she had to go to Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. She had arrived on Thursday to have several meetings with local humanitarian groups about AIDS, organic farming, and women's empowerment. Assisted by her local friends, she also had discussions with some prostitutes about their health and future, as well as giving them martial arts training on Friday. But before leaving New York, she had talked with Bruce about the possibilities of having a short holiday in Bali. By chance, Bruce was in Singapore for his Wayne Enterprises business while she was in Jakarta.

To her relief, Bruce agreed to spend their Saturday and Sunday in Bali. After all, Gotham was pretty quiet those few nights, and plus Nightwing and Alfred had suggested that he take 'some time off'. Apparently the Bludhaven fighter and the English butler had sensed something between Bruce and Diana, as they separately, seemingly absentmindedly just added, "And say hello to (Miss) Diana..." or something like that.

So, trying to be incognito, they flew to Bali separately on Friday evening, Bruce arriving at the Jepun Ubud Hotel only one hour after Diana's arrival (he flew in with the Batwing, as his preferred international means of transportation). After dinner last night, they strolled the cool and quiet streets of Ubud; Diana admiring the silver earrings at the local jewellery shop, while Bruce contemplating the Balinese _keris_ (short dagger) exhibited in front of another shop. They also watched the _gong kebyar_ dance in front of the Ubud Castle, and went back to the hotel as the rain started. Afterwards, they made love at the hotel room, nice and cool because of the rain, with exotic fragrance from the frangipani and jasmine flowers the housekeepers spread over their beds and all over the room. Diana tried to remember how many times they made love last night. _Three times. No, four – if we count the one in the bathroom. Wait. Five. While we were watching the silly movie? Yes, five._

And now suddenly she knew what she wanted.

"Mr. Wayne..." she pulled Bruce's arms to her, "...there's some chocolate in the fridge. Eat it if you're hungry now. For I'm going to need you this morning..."

Bruce grinned delightfully. "I suppose you don't need breakfast then, Madam Ambassador?"

"Yes, of course I do. But later, after I have my morning session..."

Looking at the computer monitor, Chandragita Delphina sighed weary. She had arrived at the Marine Mammal Research Center in Sanur, Bali early this morning in the rain. Her blue raincoat was now wet, dripping the rainwater on the floor of her office. She should have left her raincoat outside instead of coming in wearing it, but she forgot. For a few days her attention had been focused completely on the work she had been doing with her friends at the Center.

For more than a month, her research center had been monitoring a pod of killer whales that they encountered during a surveillance cruise on the Savu Sea. She could easily remember the excitement of her team as they spotted the long-awaited pod of transient killer whales passing on the horizon. They had managed to plant satellite tags on some of the whales, in an attempt to track their movements. The transmissions had been successful, and for a month they had been exhilaratingly monitoring the movements of the whales. To their surprise, the pods went back west towards Bali, instead of going east to Timor Leste.

Chandra was a marine mammal researcher that had fallen in love with all whales, especially killer whales, or orcas. Their findings had increased her working hours, but she and her friends did not mind. After all, this was the first project to track the movements of killer whales in the Indonesian sea, and they were dying to know the results. And the fact that the whales had moved towards Bali and her research station had increased her enthusiasm. Her team had hoped that the tags were indeed functioning, not falling from the whales and lost in the sea. Of course they didn't have any clue whatsoever that she, Chandragita, had gone to the sea a few hours after they planted the tags to check them. As Cascade, of course, the almost unknown heroine of Indonesia.

Chandra gazed at her backpack. In its hidden compartment, she had put her Cascade blue-green uniform, in case she needed it. She rarely wore it in Indonesia herself; mostly she appeared as Cascade during her international missions with the Global Guardian. The last time she remembered wearing it in action was during the big tsunami events in the Indian Ocean, last December. She had felt so useless back then that so many people had died despite her efforts to stop the waves. Although she knew there was nothing she could do once Mother Nature was in action, the consolation and help from the Guardian plus Aquaman and the Justice League were not nearly good enough.

She sighed again, drumming her fingers on the table. The monitor showed maps of Indonesia's Bali and Nusa Tenggara islands. The last time the monitor blinked was a week ago, when it showed the pod's position in nearby Sumbawa. Afterwards, they had received no signals at all. Chandra had actually donned her Cascade costume again three days ago, cruising the sea trying to find the whales with no luck. She possessed the power over water and metahuman high speed and resistance for swimming and deep diving, but not the power of flight or telepathy with sea animals that would be very useful in these circumstances. Perhaps she should call Aquaman for help. After all, he was the King of the Oceans; unlike her, a mere whale scientist that happened to have control over the water.

But, calling for Orin just to search for whales? What if the whales just showed up in front of her station then, all happy and healthy?

But, actually calling Aquaman would not be so bad. Chandra liked Orin/Arthur Curry, though she preferred the King with his long hair and beard rather than the clean surfer-like ocean hero like the one she met a few months back. Perhaps he had grown his beard and hair again, and then it would be interesting. But how to call him? Through the Global Guardian commlink? Or the Justice League? For a pod of whales?

Chandra knocked her pencil on her teeth several times, thinking. Calling GG? Or Martian Manhunter at the moon? J'onn would definitely be able to connect her with Orin. Calling, or not calling?

The door opened abruptly. Yanti, her assistant and longtime friend, rushed in with a piece of paper in her hand.

"_Mbak_, _bli_ Wayan called just now. His friends saw some killer whales off shore Candidasa, about to strand!" _Mbak_ is the Javanese friendly title for girls considered older than the caller; _bli_ is the Balinese title for older man or boy.

Chandra leapt from her chair hastily. _Bli_ Wayan was a hotel manager near Candidasa, a tranquil coastal tourist village in eastern Bali. He occasionally informed the center about whale sightings.

"What is the weather condition there?" she asked anxiously.

"Raining and windy. Perhaps it will get heavier by the hour," Pushing her spectacles to her nose, Yanti also looked worried. "_Mbak_, one of the whales has a big chunk in her dorsal fin."

"Manis..." whispered Chandra. Manis was the name of the big female killer whale they had found in the Savu Sea. She had a big cut on her dorsal fin, possibly due to a boat strike. She and another young male killer whale were also the ones wearing satellite tags. The last time Cascade checked on Manis, she had realized that the female whale was pregnant.

Chandra grabbed her raincoat and backpack. No time for Orin. She had to go to Candidasa to prevent the stranding. And damn it, she could not do that as Cascade, because her team would be going with her.

Rushing, she walked to the door. "We will go to Candidasa now. Prepare all the ropes, medical equipment, etc. I will start the jeep." Yanti nodded, hurrying to the cabinet at the corner of the room. Chandra grabbed a GPS and three handie talkies at the table nearby, pushing them into her backpack, adding, "Where's Aditya?" and resumed walking.

Again, the door abruptly opened, almost knocking her head. At the door, stood Aditya, her other teammate, his face paler than Yanti's.

"_Mbak_, just heard from the Jakarta Post reporter. A tanker ship has trouble off the shore of Candidasa, on its way to the nearby Pertamina oil station. In this weather, it might crash on the reef!" the young scientist blurted out. Pertamina was the Indonesian National Oil and Gas Company, and their depot station was a few kilometers west of Candidasa.

Chandra blinked. _This is a joke, right?_ But she knew that Aditya would not joke about things like this. "Call the Pertamina in Candidasa," she instructed, pulling out her mobile phone from her pocket, throwing it to him. "Use my mobile. And also call the local rangers; remind them of the standard stranding procedures. We're going there now."

Chandra, Yanti and Aditya walked through the rain to reach their 4WD jeep. The rain was getting harder.

Diana sighed peacefully. She hugged Bruce tightly, not wanting to let him go. Bruce in return also embraced her, planting his head on Diana's messy hair. Petals of frangipani were everywhere; their sheets were so messy and sweaty. He looked at her, grinning.

"We should really eat now, you know? The chocolate's energy is already gone." As 'instructed' by Diana, he had already eaten some of the chocolate bar from the fridge. But he smiled, remembering that most of the chocolate was used for 'other purposes', and God – how Diana loved it!

"Mmmmhhhh..." Diana just lazily nodded, brushing a lock of her hair from her face. "I'm very hungry. Otherwise we could stay here all day."

"That might be a good idea," Bruce mused. "It's still raining anyway. But let's eat first, okay?"

Diana looked into Bruce's blue eyes. "Okay, we'll eat..." glancing at the clock (10:45!), "...brunch then. Even lunch, perhaps." She grimaced. "No wonder I'm starving!"

They both rose and walked to the bathroom. After a quick shower (no time for another session – they needed food!), they changed and walked out to the café.

With screeching sound Aditya parked their jeep at the main beach road of Candidasa. Despite the heavy rain, a crowd of people had flocked to the beach, most of them staring in awe to see many whales stranded. Chandra also blinked in disbelief at what she witnessed.

"A multi-species stranding! But this has never happened here!" She jumped from the jeep, tugging her backpack and a big bag, pulling her jacket hood, and walked to the beach. Yanti and Aditya followed behind her, dragging a set of long rope, blankets and another bag, both looking dumbstruck. Bali had been a regular spot for whale stranding these past few years, but never a multi-species one.

"Chandra, we have spinner dolphins here," Aditya pointed at a group of dolphins squeaking in pain, sending distress signals as they struggled to swim on the wet sand.

"And pilot whales!" Yanti gestured to a pod of black whales with long pectoral fins emanating 'swooshing' sound from their breathing holes.

"Pilot whales do have tendencies to strand together," Chandra stopped for a while, looking at the surroundings. "And killer whales as well. But this multiple species stranding here is really weird."

"At least they are all small cetaceans, so it is easier to move them back to the sea," Yanti commented. Chandra shook her head.

"No, we don't only have small ones here," She narrowed her eyes, looking at the far side of the beach. "We have a little sperm whale over there!"

"You must be kidding me!" both Yanti and Aditya exclaimed, running to the direction Chandra gestured. It was indeed a sperm whale, not so small as it is already almost six meters long, but little nonetheless, compared to adult sperm whales. The little whale kept making noises in panic, trying to retreat back to the sea.

"Yup. And we have the mom over there," Chandra pointed to the sea at a black rock-shaped creature that wandered around the coastal water of Candidasa. "She must be very panicked, and tried to rescue her calf. She might be trapped too, if she tried."

"So you've seen the mother," A voice from behind made the three of them turned. They saw Wayan, the local hotel manager approaching with a bald, sturdy man with a big Canon 20D digital camera wrapped in a plastic cover. Chandra recognized Niartha, the local representative of the Jakarta Post.

"How do you do?" She shook hands with both men who were already soaking wet. Wayan looked weary, but Niartha still kept his journalistic demeanor.

"Bad," Wayan grimaced. "I have summoned my friends and the villagers here to help return the whales to the sea. But the weather is getting worse, and we are worried about the tanker ship as well."

"Where is the ship?" Yanti covered her eyes, scanning the horizon. "Is that the one over there? The tiny one?"

"The tiny one will hit the corals over there should a stronger wind blow," Niartha pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. Trying to light one, he continued. "I've contacted the Pertamina office; we'll see what they can do."

"So what will they do now?" Aditya pulled his waterproof hat down to protect him against the rain and wind. It was not really helping, actually. Soon, they would be as wet as the whales down there.

"Well, they wanted to send a smaller boat to guide the tanker ship. But the wind is so strong, they are afraid that the small boat might not survive the waves," Niartha cursed, shaking his Zippo in annoyance. Chandra couldn't tell if he was disturbed by the disobedient lighter, or because of the tanker ship. She turned her attention to the sea. The color was dark blue now, with white ripples at the top of the surges. The light gray sky already turned into darker gray as the rain poured heavier.

"The surges and waves are coming this way, so the ship might be washed ashore too," she commented. "It is still no better than being wrecked on the coral out there, we will still have oil spills either way." She turned to her teammates. It was time to work and do anything they could. "Let's get to work."

The five of them walked over to the crowds and the whales. The first thing to do in a whale stranding event is to make sure that not many people are around the whales, and if there are any, that they help, instead of just standing there and making noise that would make the whales more anxious. While both Wayan and Niartha dismissed the spectators and gathered the volunteers to help, Chandra and her team pulled out their field equipment. They brought a set of long rope (Wayan should have more rope for this stranding), several blankets (usually used to cover the whale's skin from the sun, but today was raining, so the blankets would serve as bases while they pushed the whales to the sea), roll meter (to measure the size of the whales), etc. Chandra also brought her digital Canon Eos 300D in her backpack to take some photographs.

They began their rescue. Chandra had chosen the killer whale pod, as she wanted to make sure that the pregnant Manis was all right. But she also had asked Yanti and Aditya to make sure that none of the other female whales and dolphins were pregnant. They also had to identify mother-calf pairs, as they should not separate the mother from the calf. Chandra made a swift examination of the orcas, and found out that they were all right. However, she noticed that both of the satellite tags they had planted on the orcas were already gone. That's why they lost the transmissions.

"We have no preggies here," Chandra's HT rustled, receiving Yanti's transmission from the other end of the beach. Yanti and Wayan had gone to the pilot whales and the spinner dolphins. "But we have three mother and calves for the pilots, and two for the spinners."

"Identify the leader, and try to push it back to the sea. Careful with the flukes and fins," Chandra replied, then switched to Aditya. He and Niartha had gone to the little sperm whale to check for the condition. "Dit, how is the little one?"

"He is okay," Aditya had identified the whale as a male. "But I saw his mom over there, and it seems that she wanted to swim here to rescue her son on her own."

"Damn, she's gonna make it harder for us!" Chandra muttered. "I'll go there a.s.a.p. I still have to examine our Manis." She broke their connections, and felt the rain and wind grew stronger.

She squatted next to the big female killer whale to study her. Manis was pregnant in the last semester when she saw her last month. Now, the female orca should deliver her calf soon. Chandra hushed Manis to calm her down. She caressed the whale several times and whispered to her, trying to assure her that every thing would be okay. As Manis started to relax, Chandra began to scan the whale's belly (very big, ready to deliver), check her eyes for any sign of illness (no, the eyes were as clear as the bright sky) and examine Manis's genital areas. The whale was ready to deliver a baby.

Chandra rose to her feet. They had to push Manis back to the sea immediately, or she would suffer from the delayed labor. Chandra beckoned to a reporter girl that already started to help her with the killer whales. She recognized Parama, the anchor news for Bali TV, the local TV station. She explained the situation to Parama, making sure that she knew what to do.

"We can move other orcas back to the sea now, but I'm afraid we have to wait for a boat to help dragging Manis back to the water. She is ready for labor, and any stress will damage her and the baby," Chandra looked at Parama in the eye. She had known the reporter for a while, and had even involved her in several whale stranding rescues in Bali. Parama would know what to do with the stranded whales by now.

The tall reporter girl nodded in assurance. "We will start moving the other orcas now. But I gotta tell ya, the weather is really not helping." As Parama spoke, thunder cracked from afar. Soon, the rescue attempt would endanger the rescuers as well.

"Make sure that those mothers and calves are released together," Chandra gestured to two mother-calf pairs of orcas and left. She switched to her HT, talking to Wayan, asking for any motorboat to pull Manis to the sea. She ran past the pilot whales and spinner dolphins straight to the little sperm whale. She blinked her eyes as the rain attacked her face, and then stopped next to Aditya.

The young scientist and some villagers were trying to turn the head of the whale back to the sea. Tying some ropes to the fluke to maneuver it, the volunteers needed to be careful to avoid being hurt from the fluke, or hurt the whale instead. Niartha was busy talking on his mobile phone.

"...he okay?" Chandra lost her breath from running. Running was not her favorite activity, and she was running on the wet sand.

"He's okay," Aditya wiped drops of sweat from his forehead, then gestured to the sea, " – but his mom is not at all."

The sperm whale mother already swam nearer, ready for a suicidal rescue attempt. Contemplating the approaching whale, Chandra suspected that soon they would have to halt their rescue. The weather was not helping; she might endanger the lives of the volunteers as well. She knew that the whales would stay safe on the beach in the rain , for a while. Her concern was more for Manis's labor. She opened her mouth for comments, but Niartha cut her.

"The mom is not the problem now. Our tanker ship is. They broke one of the machines. It started to lose control." The bald reporter pointed his mobile phone to the sea, to the struggling tanker ship. Soon, the wind would turn into a storm, and their priority should switch to saving the ship first.

Watching the ship, Chandra knew she had more work to do. And she could not do that alone.

She made up her mind. "I'm calling Orin."

Bruce and Diana returned to their room after a nice brunch. Like a newlywed couple, the rain did not dismay them. They even considered it a blessing, as then they would just have to stay at the room, and continue their pre-brunch activities. Along the hotel hallway, they held hands and talked leisurely, not caring about the hard rain outside, or anything else in the world. The semi-open corridors were slippery from the rain; Diana had to walk carefully, raising her bright red sarong, and thus revealing her long legs to Bruce.

_She's so damned exotic!_ For once, Bruce didn't even think of Gotham. He knew that Nightwing, Batgirl, Huntress and Oracle could handle his city well. Plus, he had made sure that the Batclan and Alfred would contact him should any emergencies arise that required his presence . So far his JLA and Bat commlinks were silent. _Good_.

Turning the room key, Diana smiled at him. He squeezed her hand, with a trace of the Bruce Wayne leer, and pushed the door open. The sweetness of frangipani and jasmine welcomed them; their room was already cleaned and all was fresh and new.

Diana went to open the window, as she loved fresh air. Bruce sat down at the bed, absentmindedly reached for the TV remote control on the table and switched the TV on. An annoying detergent commercial filled the screen, reminding him of his reason for not watching any TV that wasn't the news. Bruce pushed another channel, determined to switch the TV off should he find another commercial. He was ready to push the 'Off' button when his eyes caught the news of the stranded whales in Candidasa, one and a half hours' drive south of Ubud.

"... and as of now, the volunteers in Candidasa had released eight of the small whales. But we still have another twelve killer whales there, and also several...er... spinner dolphins and pilot whales. Oh, and not to mention the sperm whale! So what did our whale expert say about this, Parama?" The anchor newsman blurted in excitement.

"Well, Yudhi, as you can see, we're very busy here. I could not have _mbak_ Chandra here to talk with us. But I talked to her beforehand, and she said that our priorities should be delivering the pregnant killer whales and preventing a sperm whale mom from beaching here," Parama's wet face showed up on the screen. In the background Bruce could see many species of whales stranded on the beach. Diana also turned her attention to the TV news. Both of them understood the Indonesian language, so they had no difficulty in following the news. Parama continued, "But actually, the real problem has just started. Our tanker ship could not escape the weather, and is ready to crash on the coral reef."

The TV showed a long shot of the tanker ship, clearly struggling to survive. Some of the crew already released safety boats in an attempt to save their lives. Judging from the heavy rain and wind, the boats would not survive either.

"So what can the Pertamina do for this, then?" Yudhi's voice entered again after a brief silence.

"I called them just now, and they said that they really could not do anything but to save the crews and deploy the slick bars soon to prevent oil spills. It's sad, really. I was hoping that –"

"Wait!" Yudhi suddenly cut Parama's sentence. "What is that? That... something swimming fast to the tanker ship. Camera, please zoom more!"

The cameraman clearly strived to zoom and focus on a spot swimming to the tanker. It looked like a slender fish, but definitely had hands and legs.

"My...God... I could not believe this..."Parama whispered, forgetting that she had an audience. "I thought she was just a myth."

"What?" Yudhi sounded very curious. "Parama, could you tell us what happened there? What... or who is this... thing?"

It was very hard to adjust the focus, but the camera managed to capture a figure dressed in a blue-green suit, holding her hands up in the sky, and suddenly a surge of water emerged against the waves, literally trying to push back the current.

"Cascade..." Diana whispered. She knew that Cascade wielded the Power of Water and could swim very fast. She had not expected the news, let alone to see Cascade in action in the TV. But she also knew that Cascade's daily job was a whale researcher, and it did not surprise her to see the Indonesian heroine appear on the stranding scene.

"The Global Guardian from Indonesia?" Bruce asked Diana, his eyes fixed on the screen.

"She is Cascade! Our only heroine from Indonesia, a member of the Global Guardian! I hope she will save the day," Parama's voice dubbed over the tanker scene, confirming Bruce's identification.

"I met her during the Circe attack a few years back in New York," Diana explained. "Then I got to know her better from several meetings in Indonesia about women and AIDS. She was volunteering for one of the AIDS NGOs in Bali. But her real work is with the whales," Diana gestured to the TV. "Her real name is Chandragita Delphina."

"Ms. Delphina seems to need some help," Bruce commented, looking at the surges and waves on the TV. "She might not be able to move the tanker without endangering the crews as well."

"She called herself Chandra. We should help her now," Diana walked to the cabinet, retrieving two locked bags from within. She pulled out her own Wonder Woman uniform from the little bag, and tossed the big bag to Bruce, who had just turned off the TV.

Changing into his costume, Bruce commented, "Why didn't she contact the Global Guardian or Aquaman? This massive stranding seems too big for her to handle alone."

Diana shrugged. She fastened the clips of her breastplate, and attached the Lasso of Truth to her girdle. Afterwards she donned her silver vambraces and tiara. At the same time a calm voice with an urgent tone entered her mind.

"Diana, is your position in Indonesia?" Martian Manhunter spoke to her through telepathic link.

"I... yes..." Diana said the words aloud, though J'onn could hear her thought without her saying it.

"Splendid. Then you and the Batman could assist Cascade in the tanker and whale affair in Bali. I have tried to contact Aquaman, but he was occupied in Hawaii and California," J'onn's words were as calm as ever, with a hint of amusement. "I trust that Batman already donned his suit and is ready to go."

Diana blushed, looking at the Batman next to her. He had put his complete costume on, so she could not see his expression behind his cowl and white lenses, but she was certain that he blushed as well. Or was at least a bit annoyed, as clearly Martian Manhunter had known his present position and also contacted him telepathically.

"We will reach Candidasa in ten minutes, J'onn. Thank you for your call. Wonder Woman out." Diana felt J'onn's presence subside from her mind. She turned to Batman and asked, "How does he know?"

"Damned Martian!" Batman shrugged, beckoning Diana. "Let's go."

"Not damned, Batman," suddenly J'onn's voice chimed again in both of Bruce's and Diana's minds. "Just sincerely joyful for you two. Happy whaling!"


	2. Turning the Tides

**A Whale of a Tale**

**By Icha**

**Rated: T**

_Summary: A massive whale stranding threatens to disturb Bruce and Diana's holiday in Bali! Guest starring: the almost forgotten Cascade, and Aquaman - the King of the Oceans._

_Disclaimer: Batman, Wonder Woman, Cascade, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, the Batclan and the Global Guardian belong to DC Comics. I deliberately developed the second persona of Cascade (i.e. Chandragita Delphina), her job and her life in Indonesia. This story is in continuity with 'Roses of Paradise'. Many thanks to Athena Phoenix for beta reading._

**Chapter 2. Turning the Tides**

Cascade emerged from her jeep. She had changed to her blue-green costume there, while contacting Aquaman through the Justice League commlink. She was not a member of the League, but her Global Guardian communicator had a direct link to the League's emergency channel on the moon. Martian Manhunter had answered her inquiry directly, but to her dismay informed her that Aquaman was occupied in Hawaii. She then was patched directly to Orin, finding that the King was indeed busy in the Pacific.

"I can't help you now, Cascade, sorry about that. But I will come down there as soon as the problem here is solved," His royal voice reassured the worried Cascade. "And I am sure you cannot guess the problem I face at the moment."

Cascade frowned. How the hell should she know? Was Aquaman having problems with Meera, perhaps, during their holiday in Hawaii? "Er... I dunno. Something to do with the sea?" _Sounds stupid, but what else could it be?_

"Stranding! I have whales stranding here as well. Multi-species, as you have in Bali!"

Cascade blinked to hear the information. "You are suggesting that these two events are somehow connected?"

"It's a hunch, but I'd bet on it. I still have to go to Baja; it seemed that the gray whales there are going AWOL as well. But I will come down to see you later."

"Acknowledge. Cascade out." Then telepathically she added to J'onn, "Thank you, J'onn."

"You're welcome," J'onn's voice calmed her anxiety. "I will try to contact other Leaguers adjacent to your area. I might be able to send two of us to you."

"Thanks. I will try to hold the ship now. Talk to you later," Chandra opened the jeep and ran to the water. She felt a greater freedom of movement as she donned her blue-green suit, much better than her blue jeans and rain jacket.

Running through the heavy rain, Cascade could see that some volunteers already halted their rescue, and now sheltered under the _ketapang_ trees that grew along the road. She did not worry about it; the whales would survive the rain. It was the tanker that she was worried about. And Manis's labor. Also the sperm whale mother. She wished that her Global Guardian friends were around to help her; but most of them were also occupied by an earthquake in India.

She heard Yanti and Aditya cry out as they spotted her; recognizing Chandra behind Cascade's costume. She did not have time to say anything, so she just waved to them. She knew that she had risked her privacy by revealing her secret identity to the public like this (her costume had no mask or cowl), but she didn't care.

Cascade felt the water touching her skin as she entered the sea. She didn't feel the chill, though, as her power protected her from extreme water temperatures. She swam quickly to the tanker ship that currently was just two kilometers away from the beach. She saw some of the ship's crews start to get out of the ship and into the safety boats, only to find that the boats were not safe either. They should've stayed inside the ship, as the ship had not crashed yet, let alone sunk.

As she approached the ship, Cascade slowed her speed. She studied the tanker ship, and her heart sank a bit. It was very large indeed. Floating on the water, she lowered her hands to her solar plexus, summoning her power over the water. She raised her hands again to the sky, and at the same time the water column in front of her started to bubble and rise, creating a wall of water. She pushed her hands forward, and by doing so the water wall moved forward against the strong surge and winds. She heard gasps and shouts from the ship, as the crews stood in awe to watch the high water wall. She heard them shouting "Who is that?", "Mermaid!", etc. to one another. As the ship became stable, some of the crews in the safety boats had started to climb back to the tanker ship.

Cascade gritted her teeth. Her actions had stabilized the tanker, but not for long. The wind blew harder, as if it was aware of her challenge. What a fool she was to not be able to cope with a tanker ship and hard winds. She remembered her 'failure' during the Aceh tsunami, and determined not to fail again. There was no Global Guardian or Justice League this time, but she had to win this fight. Or she had to spend her next days cleaning Candidasa from the oil spills and burying dead whales at the beach. She summoned the Power of Water again, praying that the Existence would help her. She had planned to push the tanker away from the shore, and perhaps steer it to the Pertamina harbor.

"Need any help, Cascade?" A familiar feminine voice in English disturbed her concentration. Chandra looked into the sky, to the source of the voice. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Wonder Woman! You're here! What are you doing here?" Cascade cried out in the same language.

"Trying to help you, apparently," Diana grinned to see the blunt surprise in Chandra's face. She liked this young scientist that bore the same name as she did (in the ancient Sanskrit language, Chandra also means 'the moon', whereas 'Diana' is the Roman Goddess of the Moon).

"Great! I definitely need your help with this big thing," Chandra still held her hands upwards, struggling to maintain her water walls. "I think we better get rid of this ship right away."

"Understood. Where should I take it to?" Diana flew downwards and dived to the sea. A moment later the giant tanker ship was lifted from the water, held by Wonder Woman from below.

"To the Pertamina depot over there!" Cascade gestured westward. She then turned to the crews and shouted in Indonesian. "Don't worry, Sirs! Wonder Woman will take your ship back to the harbor!"

Diana nodded, and flew westward to the depot. The tanker ship created a large waterfall as she lifted it, making more crews gasped in awe. She managed to turn her head to Cascade and shouted, "Go back to the beach! Batman is there with the whales!"

Cascade's mouth dropped in more disbelief. Wonder Woman was here; she could understand that. Diana had a tendency to go international with her mission as the Amazon Ambassador. She had even met Diana several times during some humanitarian meetings in Indonesia. But the Batman? Jeezzz...wasn't he the one who always lurked in the dark corners and scared the criminals of Gotham? Cascade heard gossip that the Batman was a mere urban myth created by Gothamites. Hmph, she would not be surprised if Batman was an agent of the Sith!

She shrugged and swam back to the beach. She saw two young male killer whales, a few spinner dolphins, and three pilot whales swimming nearby; all were already freed from the beach. The rain had subsided, not as heavy as before, but still raining. Good. If you are in the whale rescue business, rain is better than the sun. _Sans_ tanker ships, of course. And no pregnant whales or angry whale mothers.

She stopped swimming, amazed at the scene she saw on the beach. A slim black futuristic jet hovered above the water. It must have been Batman's vehicle, as she recognized patterns of bats everywhere, from the wings to the jet tail. And there, on the beach, next to the little sperm whale, was the Batman. A tall dark figure with long black cape swirling in the rain, talking to Niartha. Cascade saw the tall Dark Knight nodding several times to the reporter, and looked at the sea where the sperm whale mother almost beached herself in her attempt to rescue her calf.

Cascade turned her attention to the killer whale pods, especially to Manis that would be laboring in minutes. Parama and Yanti were standing next to the female whale, with mixed expressions of relief and worry in their face. Cascade knew that they had to save Manis first. The sperm whales would have to wait.

She swam again to the other corner of the beach, approaching the sperm whale. Niartha nodded to her in recognition.

"Well done there, Chandra," he said, " – or should I say, Cascade?"

"Anything will do now," Chandra shrugged, turned to Batman. "Thanks a lot for helping us, Batman. I was not expecting you here."

Batman only nodded. "We'll take care of this young whale then?"

"We can't. There's a female orca over there that will deliver her baby in minutes. We have to make her the first priority."

"I don't think you need me to help with the delivery," Batman commented, his chin gestured to the sky. "Diana can help you for sure."

Wonder Woman was flying to the beach, and descended gracefully. Her wet hair made her look even more exotic than the last time Batman recalled her. She grinned and said, "Everything is under control there. They will have to make sure their ship is worth cruising afterwards, though. I don't think we need another thing like this to happen again."

"I trust that you also handled the crew well?" Batman asked matter-of-factly. "No 'autographs for my children'?"

Diana laughed. "Actually two of them did ask me for signatures, on top of their wet hats. I said I didn't have a pen, but then they handed me a waterproof marker. So I had to give them." She shrugged, and turned to Cascade. "Nice to see you again, Cascade. You have plenty of whales here."

Cascade grimaced. "Yeah, I suppose I'm the richest girl in Indonesia now. There's also another whale that will be delivered soon, or die if we don't help the mother. I need you to help me again, Wonder Woman."

Diana nodded. "I will lift the whale and bring her to the deep water, so she can deliver safely."

"Do it," Batman agreed. "I will stay here to drag the young sperm whale and other whales to the sea. I don't have the Batboat with me, but the Batwing would suffice."

Cascade looked at the sky. The rain had nearly stopped, and the volunteers already began to resume their rescue (and also to admire Batman and Wonder Woman).

"There are many of us here, so the rescue would be quick. Niartha and Aditya here will help you," she gestured her two friends to Batman, almost blurted out laughing. Niartha, a professional reporter as ever, did not show any admiration at all of the Batman. He did, however, start writing in his waterproof notebook. A quick interview with the Batman, of course. Aditya on the other hand was dumbstruck. His mouth dropped and his eyes just widened in awe. Cascade was very sure that he would ask the Dark Knight for an autograph right there, on his wet t-shirt.

Diana beckoned Cascade and lifted her to the sky. A short trip, and they descended again to the killer whale pod. As they landed, a bunch of people had already gathered. Not to rescue the whales, apparently, but to ask for photographs and signatures from the Amazing Amazon. Parama and her TV crews were ready with their cameras and microphones. Cascade clenched her jaw in annoyance. She also admired Wonder Woman, and understood why the people there just flocked to see her and have her smiling at them. But this was just not the right time!

Diana noticed that as well, as she raised her hands and said, "Please, I have some whales to rescue here. I will return to you later on. But right now I really appreciate if you help us with the rest of the whales." Her Indonesian was pretty good, with a hint of an accent. She then turned back to Cascade, who had already squatted next to Manis, examining her.

"How is she?" Diana asked.

"Still fine. But we really have to move her now. Her baby is going to pop out any minute."

Diana nodded, spreading her arms across the female orca, and lifted her to the sky. Swimming, Cascade followed her to the sea. A few hundred meters later, the Amazon dived down, and plunged herself and Manis deep into the sea. The water in that spot was already deep. The rain and wind had already stopped, making it easier for the delivery. Underwater, she turned her back to see Cascade approaching. The whale scientist gestured her to the surface.

"What then?" Diana asked her friend as they surfaced.

"We have to assist her now. Usually other female killer whales would assist her in the labor. But we have only freed two young male orcas. All the female killer whales are still stranded, and it will took more time for them to recover and perform as nurses."

"So we need to stay and nurse her then?" Diana asked, then stopped as a thought entered her mind. "I can talk to her. My telepathy with sea animals are not as good as Aquaman's, but that should do now."

Cascade nodded in relief. "Yes! How could I forget that? You possess the power over animals. Manis would listen to you too."

"Done then. You tell me what to do." Diana grinned to see Cascade's excitement.

"Well, for now, just talk to her. Soothe her, make her sure that everything is fine. Later as the baby is born, we have to guide it to the surface for its first breath, and then help it to suckle the milk from its mom."

"Acknowledged," Diana dived again, swimming to the laboring whale. Manis was already contracting, and thus becoming nervous. Diana stroked the whale with her hands, speaking her mind to her, assuring that they would help her labor, that everything would be fine. Soon, Manis became calmer and calmer, and was ready for labor.

Still floating on the surface, Cascade scanned the beach for other whales. The danger of the tanker was gone, and this had revitalized the volunteers. They hauled themselves to the sea, dragging the whales and dolphins to the water. Yanti and Wayan were busy again with the orcas, spinners and pilot whales. Batman was still there, supervising the rescue of the young sperm whale. Cascade noticed that he had tied the rope to a strong chain that attached to the Batwing, and ordered the plane to drag the whale to the sea. It was just in time that the young whale was freed from the beach and could swim to his anxious mother. From afar Cascade could feel the relief of the helpers as they witnessed the whale mother caressing her calf, and swimming away with him, clicking and grunting in excitement.

Cascade turned her attention to the Batman who gave the rope to Niartha and Aditya, his hand gestured to the remaining whales. _So he instructed them to do the same thing to other whales and dolphins. He must've programmed his Batwing in autopilot. _Then, in her wonder, she saw the Batman take off his cape, leave it on the ground, and swim to their current location.

Diana surfaced behind her, literally making her jump. "I think she is ready for labor. I saw the opening, it was big already."

Cascade looked down to the water. Blood started to spurt out of Manis's genital area. The baby whale would pop out soon. She surfaced again, grimaced.

"Hard to look into the water now," she admitted. "I should've brought my diving mask."

"Here, take these," A deep baritone voice from behind told her that the Batman had arrived. She was right; he had floated near them, handing over two sets of goggles. The myth was right; the Batman was always prepared.

"Thanks," She smirked, took the goggles and put them. "My eyes are not Aquaman's; they are not adjusted to water column."

"We don't know that," Diana commented, putting the goggles over her eyes. "There are a lot of things we don't know about you. We should have a chat sometimes."

"What next?" Batman sniffed. "Blood everywhere. I take it that she's delivering."

"We wait until the delivery is over, and then we help the whale baby to surface for its first breath. Then we help it find its mom again for milk," Diana answered that question excitedly, and then grinned to Cascade. "Am I right, Chandra?"

"Perfect," Chandra smiled widely. She thought she caught something between the two famous heroes, but she could not pinpoint what it was. She dived, followed by Batman and Wonder Woman. As soon as her views were clear and her eyes were adjusted to the red water, she saw it.

A tail. A tiny black tail, spurting out from Manis's vagina. The female whale wiggled her body, trying to release her baby. The little tail also wiggled, and soon the other parts of the body popped out too. Then the little dorsal and pectoral fins. And the head. And thus a whole new whale baby came out to the world.

Cascade looked at Batman and Wonder Woman, and smiled as she saw them staring at the little whale and its mother in amazement. She beckoned Diana who nodded, and together they swam to the whale baby and pushed it gently to surface. The baby was a female, with a curvy dorsal fin and four tiny holes at the abdomen.

Diana and Cascade surfaced together with the whale baby, helping her with her first breaths. After a few minutes, they dived again, carrying the baby to her mother for milk. For a while, they watched in admiration as the baby suckled rich nutritious milk from Manis, then the women went back to the surface.

Diana beamed happily. It was a very amazing moment. She saw Cascade could not stop grinning at her side. In fact, the bronze skinned girl was crying in relief. Diana sniffled; she also wanted to cry. She turned to Batman who had been diving and surfacing with them, witnessing the same moment. The Batman was smiling, a warm smile that penetrated from his eyes through his white lenses. Diana sniffled again, and could not help the tears running down her cheeks.

"It was beautiful," she said to Batman, who just nodded in agreement. She turned to Cascade who beckoned her, gesturing to the beach. The land rescue team already saved most of the killer whales, which already were swimming to their location.

Cascade also sniffled, laughed and cried at the same time. She wiped away her tears, saying, "It's done. They are safe, they will nurse Manis and her baby from now on."

"We can leave then?" Diana sounded a bit disappointed. She did not want to leave the whale baby too soon. She turned to see Manis and her baby surfacing for the first time, all looking healthy.

"We can stay here until we are sure that the rest are healthy enough to nurse the mother and calf," to her surprise, Batman answered. "Ten or fifteen minutes. The land team was doing great, we don't have to help them."

"Thank you," both women said in unison. In a short time the other whales arrived, and to the heroes' surprise, were ready to take over the nursing role.

Batman, Wonder Woman and Cascade stayed there to see Manis and her baby. Cascade was getting very aware of the closeness between the Dark Knight and the Amazon (ex) Princess; they floated together and holding hands.

"I suppose I was late for the show?" she heard another masculine voice from behind. Turning to see Orin, a.k.a. Arthur Curry, a.k.a. Aquaman, she smirked.

"A bit late for the show, indeed. How are Baja and Hawaii?" _Where's the long hair and beard? I miss them!_

"You wouldn't believe it. Two massive strandings at the same time. And they were so panicked that I had to remind them who was the King of the Oceans," Orin nodded to Bruce and Diana to greet them. "Batman. Wonder Woman. I have to say that I'm surprised to see you two here."

Diana smiled. "We were...in the vicinity. But as you have arrived now, I presume everything would be in order then."

Orin frowned. "I wouldn't say it was in order at all. Nature didn't have her hands in this game."

"You were saying that something – or someone – was behind this?" The World's Greatest Detective spoke up. "Black Manta?" The Black Manta was Aquaman's archenemy.

"I couldn't tell," Orin scratched his clean chin. "The M.O. was different. I have to do some research for this," he faced Batman, "I might need your help then."

The Dark Knight nodded. "Just contact me at the JLA," He then gestured to the whales. "And now, I take it that we can leave the orcas in peace?"

The killer whales were showing signs to leave. Manis and her baby looked healthy, and so were the rest of the whales. Orin swam to the whales, clearly communicating with them. He then went back to say, "They are leaving. They said thank you for all of your helps."

Diana and Chandra beamed brightly.

"Thank you too, for letting us witnessing such a beautiful moment," Diana said solemnly, then swam back to the beach; Batman followed her closely.

Cascade nodded to both heroes. "I will catch you there. I still need to talk to Aquaman." She then turned to Orin who was watching his 'people' swimming away in peace.

"So you will guide these whales to the open sea, making sure that they're all right?"

"That's my intention, yes." Aquaman studied the pilot whales and spinner dolphins that swam approaching him, squeaking and chirping in delight. "But don't hesitate to call me again directly next time such things happen again. Just contact me telepathically, and you're with me."

"You really think something fishy behind this?"

Orin's blue eyes looked into Chandra's brown eyes in amusement. "Fishy. Yes, fishy indeed. Well, I have to go now, my friend. But I will contact you later for this fishy case."

The King of the Oceans swam away with his herds. Cascade watched him for a while in awe, then returned to the beach. All of the whales and dolphins were already freed. She saw Yanti and Aditya packing the ropes and other tools, while the rest of the crowd flocked around Batman (he had already donned his cape) and Wonder Woman. To her amusement, Batman looked very uncomfortable, though Diana was relaxed as usual. The Amazon talked to the people for a while, then beckoned to Batman. Suddenly Cascade realized that she had interrupted the two heroes' private business with this whale affair.

"Wonder Woman, Batman, I really thank you for your helps." She walked to them.

"My pleasure, Chandra. That was the first time we watched a whale born," Diana replied. _We_, Cascade noted. _Hmm...something was really happening here._

"But I really should say that I'm also sorry to drag you here, and disturb your weekend in Bali," Cascade blurted out her deduction. They were standing far from the crowds (Diana apparently managed to dismiss them properly), so she thought that a little truth would not hurt.

To her relief, Diana smiled and said, "It was all right, really. We only spent less than two hours here with the whales. Consider it outdoor activities."

Cascade blushed, realizing that her theory was right. _Wonder Woman is dating the Batman! _

"Well, er... I won't bother you again for the weekend then... Er... thanks a lot, Diana. Batman." Batman just nodded, then left with a swirl of cape to his Batwing. Diana also walked to the Batwing with him. _The Batwing! But Diana can fly alone, can't she?_

"Er... Diana..." Cascade summoned her willpower to overcome her excitement. The Amazon stopped and looked at her. "I was wondering... if you could name the whale baby we helped just now? I might be able to spot her again in the years to come, and I want a proper name for her. Not just some numbers."

Diana frowned, thinking. "How about Amphitrite? She is Poseidon's wife, and her symbol is the dolphins."

"Her name is too hard to say," Cascade admitted, and added shyly. "I was thinking of another name actually. How about... Diana?" She blushed, and then added quickly. "If you don't mind of course."

Diana nodded in amusement. "I think Diana would be nice. Tonight is full moon, so the baby Diana would be able to swim beneath the moonlight."

"Deal. Diana, then. Thanks a lot, Diana." Cascade gave the Amazon a big hug. "And have a nice weekend then. In Ubud, I suppose?"

Diana only hugged her back, grinned widely and resumed her walking. She entered the Batwing where Batman had waited, and together they flew to the afternoon Bali sky.

FIN-

_Author's note:_

Eeeekkk! I did it! I wrote about three things in one story. The Batman-Wonder Woman story (my fave...), the whales and dolphins (my beloved animals) and Cascade (the forgotten heroine from Indonesia). All the Bali and whale thingies were based on my knowledge as a Balinese Indonesian who loves whales (grin). I realized this story might be a bit weird for you; what does the Dark Knight have to do with whales? But, once in a while, I just wanted to write about a more humane Batman, who doesn't have to always deal with crimes and detective works, and who can enjoy a bit of holiday. And I could not tell how happy I was to give a little hint of Bali in my story. I hope you could smell the frangipani and sweet rain of Bali as well!


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